Bronze Cannon question

[VirgilCole]

Hi,

New member here. Quick question on bronze cannons. Would the troops (either side) keep the barrel shiny bronze or let it weather. I am building a 12-pounder Napoleon and the instructions give a method to weather it or paint it black. Seems to me they would keep it clean and bronze.

Thanks,
Greg

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

Hello Greg. Welcome aboard !

Sit tight, I'm sure some of our arty guys will be along shortly to answer your question.

 

[mofederal]

I would think they would have been kept bright and polished. It was something you did, to keep up the weapon (tube) As well as the carriage. Like rifles, which soldiers worked on to be kept bright. To keep them looking their best and to keep the men busy when not in battle. It's the Army way.

 

[rebelatsea]

I would think they would have been kept bright and polished. It was something you did, to keep up the weapon (tube) As well as the carriage. Like rifles, which soldiers worked on to be kept bright. To keep them looking their best and to keep the men busy when not in battle. It's the Army way.

If it moves salute it, if it doesn't paint it !

 

[drezac]

I have seen specifications for paint for all equipment but none for the actual guns. Keep it polished

 

[John Winn]

I've never seen any reference regarding the painting of bronze tubes nor have I seen any originals or photographs of originals with any paint. The only reason to paint them would have been to prevent rust and bronze doesn't rust. I'd not paint it.

Now then, the carriage and the wheels are a different story. Those would have been painted.

 

[redbob]

A true artilleryman takes pride in his piece, so I would say that they were definitely kept polished. The only Napoleons that I can think of that were painted black were the 125 +/- iron ones that the Confederacy made at the Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond, however these had a reinforcing band on the breech end. Also, welcome to the group from Alabama.

 

[redbob]

If it moves salute it, if it doesn't paint it !

Or another Naval phrase "If it's underway, then paint it gray".

 

[TomP]

Bronze cannon were most definitely kept polished. One nick-name for field artillery was "barking yellow dogs."

 

[bankerpapaw]

Good question!! Welcome from Arkansas

 

[mofederal]

I painted both tanks and rocks when I was in the Army. We polished everything else including the toilets. Busy work at best, but something we had to do.

 

[DixieRifles]

I agree with the above ----but there is a follow-up Q.
First, any gun that fired bkack powder had to be cleaned to prevent corrosion. Bronze may not rust (or oxidize) as quickly as most steel alloys of that period but black powder can fowl it.

My follow-up Q: Did they paint brinze or brass hardware, tools or accessories?
This Q came up when studying the Williams Gun breech-loader cannon. Its main breech & barrel were made separately from steel and joined together. A brass collar covered this joint. It also had a fixed foward perp sight made if brass. I wondered if they woukd have painted these pieces or not.
Most cannon have brass sighting tools---not painted. Im not sure if there are other examples if hardware attached to the carriage that could be painted brass. Possible??

 

[captaindrew]

Welcome to the forum Greg, good luck with your project and share some pics when you're done.

 

[VirgilCole]

Thanks for all the responses.

Greg

 

[drezac]

I agree with the above ----but there is a follow-up Q.
First, any gun that fired bkack powder had to be cleaned to prevent corrosion. Bronze may not rust (or oxidize) as quickly as most steel alloys of that period but black powder can fowl it.

My follow-up Q: Did they paint brinze or brass hardware, tools or accessories?
This Q came up when studying the Williams Gun breech-loader cannon. Its main breech & barrel were made separately from steel and joined together. A brass collar covered this joint. It also had a fixed foward perp sight made if brass. I wondered if they woukd have painted these pieces or not.
Most cannon have brass sighting tools---not painted. Im not sure if there are other examples if hardware attached to the carriage that could be painted brass. Possible??

all of the hardware on the carriage with the exception of part of the elevation screw were made of iron. None of the original sights on bronze guns I have seen have shown any sign of paint. The ordnance manual specifies paint colors for carriages, caissons, limber boxes,ammunition crates, and ammunition, but not for items of bronze or brass.

 

[Albert Sailhorst]

What instructions suggested that you paint it black???

 

[JPChurch]

What kit are you constructing and in what scale? If you wanna "weather" it, then paint the barrel kinda like a light blue-green. That's how most bronze cannon barrels look like on battlefields after years of oxidation. The instructions with your kit to say paint it black was wrong. Use a suitable bronze paint in either enamel or acrylic if you want it to look "shiny."

 

[Albert Sailhorst]

My opinion: Don't paint it.....Let it weather naturally.....

 

[TomP]

all of the hardware on the carriage with the exception of part of the elevation screw were made of iron. None of the original sights on bronze guns I have seen have shown any sign of paint. The ordnance manual specifies paint colors for carriages, caissons, limber boxes,ammunition crates, and ammunition, but not for items of bronze or brass.

drezac, you are spot on. Only the elevation screw housing was brass (which was unpainted and shined while the rest was iron and pained black.

As for your kit - if the original gun was iron or steel it should be black, if it was bronze it should be bright bronze like a new penny. Here at Shiloh NMP we have a replica 6-pounder smoothbore that we keep shined. The bronze cannon in the photo in a 3.8 inch rifle. We do not keep it shined because there is an inscription on the top pf the barrel from the war and repeated shining of the tube would eventually erode the inscription away.

 

[JOHN42768]

Welcome, enjoy